"Sorry about that. Are you alright?"
Seated on the ground, the blue-haired girl lifted her head upon hearing Carl's voice.
Her purple cybernetic eyes flickered—within a split second, they had already begun scanning him.
Gaius Brutus
Origin: Heywood
Age: 17
Criminal Record: Illegal Braindance Sales
NCPD Bounty: None
As the scanned data entered her memory, the girl immediately understood his "identity".
"One of those 'trial students' I've heard about?"
Her expression remained neutral—she simply shook her head in refusal of Carl's offered hand. Then, without hesitation, she stood up on her own.
"When turning corners, you should be more careful," she said calmly before brushing past him and continuing on her way.
She didn't seem to care much about the collision.
"I'll be more careful," Carl replied from behind her—whether or not she actually heard him was unclear.
At the same time, his palm subtly flipped over, concealing a small object beneath his fingers.
During that brief moment of contact, he had picked something off of her.
Carl had already noted the presence of a security camera near the corner. When he bumped into the girl, he had positioned their bodies strategically to block the camera's view—ensuring that his sleight of hand went unnoticed.
Casually walking forward for a few steps, he reached a blind spot he had identified yesterday while scouting the school.
Now out of the camera's view, Carl examined the object in his hand.
Jackpot.
The item was a vehicle control chip—the 2075 equivalent of a car key.
Much like classic car keys from the old world, most high-end cars in 2075 had unique key designs to match their prestige.
Thanks to Oliver and Jack's obsession with cars, Carl immediately recognized what vehicle this chip belonged to just from its design.
Herrera Outlaw GTS
One of the most exclusive Spanish automobilesA perfect fusion of cutting-edge technology and timeless eleganceHandcrafted by the world's finest engineersAmong the most expensive legal street vehicles available
For a student to own something this expensive at their age...
Her father or mother must be a high-ranking Arasaka executive.
Carl hadn't expected much—he was simply trying to lift something small as an excuse for a second interaction.
But this?
This was way too good of an opportunity to pass up.
If he waited too long, she'd notice and realize it was missing—that would be a problem.
Holding the vehicle chip, Carl turned back and called out to her.
"Hey—wait a second. You dropped something."
The blue-haired girl paused slightly, then turned around.
As her gaze landed on the chip in Carl's hand, her purple eyes flickered briefly in surprise.
"She wasn't even aware she had lost it? Even better."
"This is yours, right?" Carl smiled as he stepped closer.
"It got stuck in my sleeve after we bumped into each other," he added, casually handing it back.
The blue-haired girl stared at the vehicle chip in his hand, but instead of taking it immediately, her cybernetic eyes flashed again—scanning Carl one more time.
Only after a brief pause, did she extend her hand.
"Yes, it's mine."
Her right hand was pale and delicate—clearly the hand of someone who had never done physical labor.
However, on her ring finger, there was a noticeable difference—a metallic silver hue, distinct from the rest of her skin.
Upon closer inspection, it was clear: her ring finger was fully cybernetic.
Her fingertips lightly brushed Carl's palm as she slid the chip out of his grasp—yet she had deliberately avoided direct skin contact throughout the exchange.
"Thank you."
Holding the vehicle chip in her palm, the blue-haired girl spoke softly.
"No problem—it was my fault for bumping into you."
Technically speaking, she was the one who ran into him—Carl had simply positioned himself at the right moment.
But there was no need to overanalyze that.
If the goal was to leave an impression, small details like that weren't worth arguing over.
With a slight nod to close the conversation, Carl turned away.
No need to push things too far.
For this morning, that was enough.
The first encounter was to leave a visual impression.
The second interaction—returning her item—reinforced that impression.
For a first meeting, that was plenty.
If everything went smoothly, the next conversation would happen naturally.
"She'll be my first contact. Now I just need to find more Arasaka students willing to interact with a trial student like me. Every connection counts—any one of them might have the intel I need."
Carl headed to the restroom to wash his hands.
Out of the twenty-minute break, less than five minutes had passed.
But he wasn't planning to approach anyone else just yet.
One impression per break is enough.
No need to be too flashy on day one—better to act like a clueless street kid for now.
That was his plan.
But things didn't go exactly as he expected.
Because as soon as he stepped out of the restroom, he was blocked by three male students in school uniforms.
"You're the trial student—Gaius, right?"
The leader of the group was a blond-haired guy, standing at the front.
When he saw Carl shaking water off his hands, he instinctively took a cautious step back before finally speaking.
Carl glanced at the guy and the two goons standing behind him.
What's this?
Rich kids harassing a street punk? First day of school and I already have to deal with some 'elite bullying' cliché?
Could he tolerate it?
Probably not.
As Carl mentally debated whether he should shoot this guy in the head or kick him in the crotch, the blond student suddenly spoke again—saying something completely unexpected.
"You got any chips?"
Carl blinked.
The student lowered his voice, while his two followers leaned in eagerly.
"I checked your background file—you used to sell black-market Braindances, right? Got any good stuff?"
"The school and my family are way too strict, I can't buy them myself. You got a source?"
Carl suddenly realized—
He might have just found the perfect way to get to know most of the male students at Arasaka Academy.